Farage faces allegations as party’s fortunes wane
Robert Jenrick has claimed the media are part of an establishment conspiracy to discredit Nigel Farage after new allegations emerged about the Reform UK leader, reports BritPanorama.
In an extraordinary interview on Sky News, Reform’s Treasury spokesman launched a furious attack on presenter Sir Trevor Phillips, claiming that the media was “muck raking” about Mr Farage to keep Labour in power.
He dismissed claims that Mr Farage has “become a liability” and is about to quit as Reform leader as “daft,” insisting: “He will be Britain’s next prime minister.”
Privately, however, a number of Mr Farage’s allies have raised concerns about whether he is nearing the end of his run as Reform leader, as the party appears to be running out of steam and sliding in the polls.
Just last week, it was revealed that Mr Farage had hired journalist Miles Goslett as a new communications chief after he had helped Lord Ashcroft write a biography of the Reform UK leader. This move is understood to be part of a strategy for the embattled Mr Farage to avoid the mainstream media and focus more on social media, substacks, and a new podcast.
Mr Jenrick’s criticism of the media appears to reflect a growing sense of panic that the party could be overtaken in the polls by Labour under Andy Burnham’s eventual leadership, with the prospect of Mr Farage as the next Prime Minister fading rapidly.
The situation intensified as The Sunday Times reported allegations that Mr Farage had not declared donations from his close friend and convicted criminal George Cottrell, nicknamed “Posh George.”
Mr Jenrick insisted that the gifts to Mr Farage, allegedly including payments for his security and accommodation in a five-storey town house near Buckingham Palace, as well as funding three staff to work on Mr Farage’s social media prior to the general election, were “in a personal capacity” and occurred before Mr Farage was an MP.
He characterized it as “an old story” and stated: “There is nothing to see here.” This defense mirrored that of the £5 million gift Mr Farage received from Thailand-based crypto billionaire Chris Harborne, which also took place before Mr Farage’s parliamentary career began.
“Nigel has good friends,” Mr Jenrick added.
Labour health secretary James Murray and the Liberal Democrats have both called for a sleaze inquiry into Mr Farage, who has faced scrutiny over his failure to declare three of his five homes in the register of interest.
Currently, Mr Farage and his allies are in America celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, where he is a guest at Donald Trump’s reception and had a meeting with Vice President JD Vance.
MPs must declare gifts received in the twelve months prior to their election, although there is a clause that allows them to bypass this if it is “in a personal capacity.” After becoming MP for Clacton in 2024, Mr Farage registered a £9,000 trip to Belgium donated by Mr Cottrell, and later added £15,000 for a domestic flight in the US, but declared no further support.
Sir Trevor pointed out that Mr Farage had retreated from the public eye since the £5 million allegations surfaced and a parliamentary standards inquiry was initiated against him.
Weekly press conferences have ceased, and recently, Mr Farage cancelled an interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg at the last minute.
Meanwhile, Reform’s support has decreased to an average of 25 percent, down from about 35 percent at one point last year. There are indications that Labour is experiencing a “Burnham bounce,” even before Mr Burnham has officially been named leader and prime minister.
Amid this backdrop, an irritated Mr Jenrick contended that there is a plot to undermine Mr Farage, asserting that “he is the only political leader capable of saving this country.”
He criticized the media’s lack of scrutiny on Mr Burnham, suggesting that they were disproportionately focused on Mr Farage. “What does he intend to do? And you’ve got a Labour newspaper like the Sunday Times putting this story on the front page,” he added.
“You’re trying to drag Nigel down. Nigel is not going anywhere. He is committed to working hard to ensure we achieve the needed change in this country,” he said.
In a sweeping claim, Mr Jenrick touted Mr Farage as one of the hardest-working figures in British politics, asserting that the party was preparing for an election, selecting candidates, raising funds, and developing a manifesto.
Cottrell, for context, was jailed for eight months in the US in 2017 after pleading guilty to charges related to wire fraud, attempting to defraud criminals on the dark web.
Health Secretary James Murray described Mr Farage’s dealings as indicative of a “flexible relationship with transparency,” emphasizing that there were numerous questions for him to address.
A Labour spokesperson noted, “Reform can’t shrug this scandal off and hope it goes away. Nigel Farage has been secretly funded by a convicted criminal, and Jenrick cannot explain why.”
